


Puppy Love

by fleurofthecourt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Sick Castiel, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurofthecourt/pseuds/fleurofthecourt
Summary: It's about a week into the whole Cas having a puppy thing that everything goes sideways.





	Puppy Love

Cas should be a cat person, Dean thinks. 

He’s certainly surly enough, certainly grumpy enough. 

And, yeah, okay, maybe having the same personality as a cat isn’t actually the same as being a cat person, but it would make perfect sense to Dean. 

After all, his younger brother is basically an overgrown golden retriever who just so happens to own a golden retriever. So yeah. 

And if Dean himself had a pet, well, he would never have a pet because the damn thing would shed all over his baby, but _if_ he did, it would definitely be a dog. Probably a German Shepherd. Maybe a Rottweiler. 

It would, however, definitely not be whatever oversized black rat Cas is currently coaxing out of his truck. 

“What the hell is that?” Dean hollers as he crosses his yard to watch Cas’ continued struggle with an animal that couldn’t possibly weigh more than a couple pounds. 

“This is Grace,” Cas says simply as he tugs on her leash and pulls what appears to be a bag of kibble off the seat. 

Dean raises his eyes which seems to give Cas a clue that he’s not giving Dean enough information. “She’s a short haired chihuahua. I've been told they're very difficult to house train, so... difficult for the rescue to find good owners for. I hope I will do.” 

“Well...good luck!” Dean says, giving him a simple, neighborly thumbs up as he heads back for his own house. 

He’s not one to go gaga over a puppy, and he’s certainly not one for volunteering to keep one from pissing everywhere. 

He is, however, one for taking care of his next door neighbor, which is how he finds himself in a situation in which he does exactly both.

XXX 

It's about a week into the whole Cas having a puppy thing that everything goes sideways. 

The day starts out normally enough, with Dean mowing his lawn and Cas taking Grace for her morning walk.  
Dean waves as they set off, and Cas doesn’t wave back. He usually does but, well, lawn mowers are loud and chihuahuas demanding. So Dean doesn’t think too much of this until fifteen minutes later when Grace is standing in front of the lawn mower -- Cas-less. 

He kills the lawn mower and frowns at her. She’s yipping like mad and her leash is trailing behind her. He looks down the street, expecting to see or, at least, hear a frantic Cas, but there’s no sign of him. 

Odd. 

She yips again and runs in a couple frantic circles. Dean sighs and picks her up, “Alright, Lassie, where's Timmy? Where’s the well?” 

Grace barks encouragingly as Dean starts down the sidewalk. She doesn't stop until they’re at an intersection a block over. Then she starts scratching insistently at his shoulder. “So this way, huh?” 

She barks, seemingly in agreement, but it's unnecessary. 

Cas is right around the corner, fumbling as he pushes himself up from the ground with the help of a tree, looking out of sorts. 

The smell of vomit hits Dean before he sees it, pooling in the grass. 

And as gross as that is, Dean’s first thought is that Cas is about to slip in it. He's pale and shaking and obviously unbalanced. 

Dean all but throws Grace on the ground to get to him. 

Which is a terrible idea because Cas cares more about the damn dog than himself. And the next thing Dean knows, Cas is trying to get to the street to get to her. 

“Grace!” 

“Cas!” 

Cas trips over the curb and lands on the pavement, just barely bracing himself with his hands and undoubtedly scraping his knees up. 

And it was completely unnecessary -- Grace, having grasped the inherent dangers of cars, has already run back to the sidewalk. 

And now that Dean’s pulling him upright, she's taking the opportunity to quite literally lick Cas’ wounds. Dean sighs. “You couldn't have done that before?” 

She raises her eyes at him and blinks then goes back to licking, clearly pleased with herself. 

Dean sighs again before moving his palm to Cas’ forehead. It's unusually warm. “So you've got the flu or something and your first thought was to walk the dog?”

“She needs her exercise,” Cas says plaintively. 

“Yeah, well it's about the last thing you needed -- come on, let's get you home.” 

It's an excruciatingly long walk -- Cas ought to be horizontal and every couple steps, his body seems keen to remind them. That alone would be problem enough but Grace, who seems to think Dean has whatever was wrong with Cas under control, has decided to enjoy a leisurely walk. She's sniffing everything and trying her hardest to make them trip over her leash. 

Dean's irritated about it, but, well, if it weren't for her, Cas would probably still be practically sitting in his own vomit. 

Ultimately, Dean’s proud of her -- not that he'd admit it. 

XXX 

“Dean, you don't have to stay,” Cas looks significantly better, standing in sweatpants and a t-shirt, as he finishes rubbing a towel over his damp hair. “I can take of Grace myself.”

“Yeah, Grace isn't really who I'm worried about,” Dean says, slowly moving his hand away from Grace’s belly, that he definitely wasn't rubbing. And if he was? Well, she basically saved Cas. She deserves it. “You are.” 

Cas tilts his head slightly, perplexed. “Why?” 

“Well, let’s see,” Dean steers Cas to the couch, pressing his hand against his forehead again, “you shouldn't leave people with fevers alone...”

Once Cas is sitting, he pushes up one leg of his sweatpants and winces at Cas’ knee, “...that needs antibiotic ointment and a Band-Aid...”

“And,” Dean hands Cas a bottle of Ginger Ale he dug out of Cas’ pantry and presses it into his hands, “I don't know if you know this, but you _threw up_ when you took your dog for a walk this morning.” 

“That was unpleasant,” Cas says as he tips the ginger ale into his mouth, “not an experience I’d like to repeat. But, Dean, I’m sure you have better things to do than be your neighbor’s nurse.” 

Dean gives him a lopsided smile and claps his shoulder. “Yeah, actually, I don’t. You’re at the very top of my to do list.” 

Dean winches as soon as he says it, but, Cas, oblivious from fever or being Cas, doesn’t say anything except a very sincere, “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, you can thank my pain in the ass chihuahua for getting loose and chasing a group of cyclists the day after I had a stomach virus. I was about ready to kill her after I caught her.
> 
>  [ Lucy (my chihuahua) and Tucker (my much better behaved corgi/spaniel)](http://catalogercas.tumblr.com/post/162474733175)


End file.
